I have honestly forgotten what week this is. I think it is week four. Anyway, I lost .2 and I don't want to talk about it. I'll blame the DELICIOUS cookies Dave made. That's all I have to say about that. Perhaps my goal should be to simply maintain until I get home from Vegas. Then I'll have a few weeks to work toward my Weight Watchers "Lifetime Goal" (and gorgeous fake nails). I would love to have those by Dekker's first birthday party but I 'm just not sure that's going to happen.
Also, my theory about the gym: The Longer One is Away, The Harder it is to Get Back.
On the journey.
Stef
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
9 Month Check Up. Check.
Well, today I finally made it in to see Dr. Walters for Dekker's 9 month well baby check up. He is, in fact, 10.5 months old-- but she has been on maternity and Dekker has been sick so, you know, we went today. I really love my pediatrician. Very sweet lady, busy but not rushed, and takes time to talk to me. In reality, I hate hauling Dekker to the doctor (it was a high of 19 today), and between the upper respiratory stuff over the last month, I feel like I have been in there weekly. But today was a nice appointment to talk about development, food, napping, other milestones and what looks like an MSPI allergy that he hasn't yet outgrown. She assured me that deciding what the heck to feed a baby from 9-12 months can be somewhat of a challenge ("for first time moms"-- whatever, I'll admit it), and is more difficult thanks to the allergy. A lot of foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, etc are out. Through our discussion, she thought he was probably okay with soy, but not "big dairy" (aka not hidden diary). She said we will probably start with Rice Milk and move to Soy Milk fairly quickly and then try Cow's Milk. I sighed. Never did I imagine this. But I will count my lucky stars. He is a healthy, growing boy in the 50% for weight and 90% for length. I wonder where he gets that height?!?
She also listened to my over-exaggeration of Dekkers nap troubles here lately- complete with "if I have a bald spot next time you see me" language--
She also listened to my over-exaggeration of Dekkers nap troubles here lately- complete with "if I have a bald spot next time you see me" language--
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Eating Out Just Got Easier
I just wanted to pass along this website (scroll down once you get there). Big thanks to my sweet cousin, Tisha, for passing it along. Even if you're not "counting points" you can bookmark it and plan ahead for healthy choices at your favorite restaurants.
Tonight I ordered Dominos Pizza, Thin Crust, Medium, light cheese with beef and red peppers. I am estimating about 4 points a slice and I am thrilled. I have 13 points left today thanks to a salad for lunch. A few pieces with some fruit and NO bonus points. Heck yeah. Let's just hope I have that much self control once it gets here :)
Enjoy!
On the journey.
Stef
Tonight I ordered Dominos Pizza, Thin Crust, Medium, light cheese with beef and red peppers. I am estimating about 4 points a slice and I am thrilled. I have 13 points left today thanks to a salad for lunch. A few pieces with some fruit and NO bonus points. Heck yeah. Let's just hope I have that much self control once it gets here :)
Enjoy!
On the journey.
Stef
Friday, February 19, 2010
Weigh In...
Because I know you are waiting with baited breath, I wanted to quick say that I lost 1lb this week. Not too shabby considering the trip we took, including Wendy's, doughnuts, and delicious popcorn and M&M's (Oh Amy, I loved that popcorn!). However, one pound is what I mean when I say that weight loss is hard! I know that 1lb adds up (after all, I've lost 11lbs from my heaviest post-pregnancy (winter) weight and 6 since I started WW and this blog), but it's not exactly major rewards. Still, I'll take it, and the fact that my work pants didn't make me want to hate myself all day yesterday. Two weeks until Vegas! Even a few more lbs will make a difference with those Spring clothes-- so I continue!
Here are a few pics from our trip to Michigan:
Grandpa and Nana with all the grandkids. Do you think we could get them all to look at the camera and smile at once? Never. Dekker particularly was not having it.
This is Dekker on his first plane ride! We had a blast with him.
Our family of three. I wish I would have put my hair over my shoulder but oh well. It's really long right now.
All the cousins playing together. Pictures of these three crawling around on the floor together are forever in my memory. So sweet.
Also, a side note, I am about 4.5 lbs from my WW "Lifetime Weight." When I hit that, I'm getting fake nails. And if I can go 5 under that, I'm not sure what I'll do but it will be BIG. My goal is to have fake nails by Dekker's birthday party on April 3rd.
How are you doing with your healthy eating/exercise goals? I hope you are keeping at it, because small steps equal big rewards somewhere down the line...
On the journey.
Stef
Here are a few pics from our trip to Michigan:
Grandpa and Nana with all the grandkids. Do you think we could get them all to look at the camera and smile at once? Never. Dekker particularly was not having it.
This is Dekker on his first plane ride! We had a blast with him.
Our family of three. I wish I would have put my hair over my shoulder but oh well. It's really long right now.
All the cousins playing together. Pictures of these three crawling around on the floor together are forever in my memory. So sweet.
Also, a side note, I am about 4.5 lbs from my WW "Lifetime Weight." When I hit that, I'm getting fake nails. And if I can go 5 under that, I'm not sure what I'll do but it will be BIG. My goal is to have fake nails by Dekker's birthday party on April 3rd.
How are you doing with your healthy eating/exercise goals? I hope you are keeping at it, because small steps equal big rewards somewhere down the line...
On the journey.
Stef
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Bedtime Top Ten
Top 10 Thoughts About Dekker's 7PM bedtime:
Top 5 reasons I love a 7PM bedtime (in no particular order):
1. It gives Dave and I time to be a couple. I love eating dinner together, talking, watching shows, sitting on the deck (remember when it was warm enough to do that?). Dave, I love you, and our time together has changed so much with the blessing of a child-- I love connecting with you in the evenings.
2. It gives me time for housework, cleaning the kitchen, packing diaper bags and lunch pails and paying bills. Blah! This stuff stinks but it has to be done at some point.
3. It gives me time to do hobbies I enjoy-- like reading blogs, blogging, reading books, going to 7:30 yoga down the street, talking to Beth on the phone.
4. It gives me time to relax. I might be the only 2? year old that enjoys a good, hot bath. This has become such a stress reliever for me, and I love having a half hour to relax and recharge.
5. I love that I can do the above things and still get to bed by a reasonable hour, say 10:30.
Top 5 reasons a 7PM bedtime is difficult.
1. Days like today. This is what got my wheels turning. I left the house at 9AM and walked in the door at 6:30PM, just in time for PJ's, bottle and bed. This rarely does happen but when it does it is very sad for me. It also cuts down on the time Dave sees Dekker, as he gets off work at 5. Thankfully he works in the basement and gets lots of time during the day and throughout the evening.
2. It is admitting-ly hard to be home by 7PM every night. I feel like we miss out on a lot of social events, game parties, dinners out with other families, etc because we try really hard to be home by 6:30 or 7. This is even more true in the summer.
3. We have dinner with Dave's family every Monday night. This is so important to us that we keep Dekker up for it, but that doesn't mean he's very fun company. The same is true for small group on Tuesday nights (so we host every week and put him to bed).His little body is in such a routine that no matter where we are he falls asleep, or is crabby until he does (sweet thing).
4. I have discovered a tendency to leave everything until after bed. So I put Dekker down and then run around doing all the housework, laundry, bills, relaxing, work paperwork, etc. I must discipline myself to do this at other times in the day, too. I haven't yet figured out how to keep him occupied (and out of the dog's water dish) while doing some of this stuff. I'm sure I'll get better at this Motherhood thing with time.
5. Probably the most obvious, an early wake up time. Dekker wakes up between 7 and 7:30 every morning. Now, I work 2 days a week and this is perfect. On the other days, there is absolutely no sleeping in. If I keep him up until 8 or even 9, he will still wake up at 7 or even EARLIER. He is a classic, text book definition of "Early to Bed, Late to Rise."
Well, again, this was good for me to get off my chest. I was really struggling on the way home from work today that I would only see him for 30 min tonight. But after writing this down, I am still totally glad that his bedtime is so early. It is really good for his body, good for our marriage, and good for the rare nighttime babysitter-- even if it's not ideal for our social calendar or evening work hours. If you want a good book to read on childhood sleep, check out Good Night, Sleep Tight. We loved it.
Tomorrow is my Friday AM weigh in and I am still cautiously optimistic. Details to come.
On the Journey.
Stef
Top 5 reasons I love a 7PM bedtime (in no particular order):
1. It gives Dave and I time to be a couple. I love eating dinner together, talking, watching shows, sitting on the deck (remember when it was warm enough to do that?). Dave, I love you, and our time together has changed so much with the blessing of a child-- I love connecting with you in the evenings.
2. It gives me time for housework, cleaning the kitchen, packing diaper bags and lunch pails and paying bills. Blah! This stuff stinks but it has to be done at some point.
3. It gives me time to do hobbies I enjoy-- like reading blogs, blogging, reading books, going to 7:30 yoga down the street, talking to Beth on the phone.
4. It gives me time to relax. I might be the only 2? year old that enjoys a good, hot bath. This has become such a stress reliever for me, and I love having a half hour to relax and recharge.
5. I love that I can do the above things and still get to bed by a reasonable hour, say 10:30.
Top 5 reasons a 7PM bedtime is difficult.
1. Days like today. This is what got my wheels turning. I left the house at 9AM and walked in the door at 6:30PM, just in time for PJ's, bottle and bed. This rarely does happen but when it does it is very sad for me. It also cuts down on the time Dave sees Dekker, as he gets off work at 5. Thankfully he works in the basement and gets lots of time during the day and throughout the evening.
2. It is admitting-ly hard to be home by 7PM every night. I feel like we miss out on a lot of social events, game parties, dinners out with other families, etc because we try really hard to be home by 6:30 or 7. This is even more true in the summer.
3. We have dinner with Dave's family every Monday night. This is so important to us that we keep Dekker up for it, but that doesn't mean he's very fun company. The same is true for small group on Tuesday nights (so we host every week and put him to bed).His little body is in such a routine that no matter where we are he falls asleep, or is crabby until he does (sweet thing).
4. I have discovered a tendency to leave everything until after bed. So I put Dekker down and then run around doing all the housework, laundry, bills, relaxing, work paperwork, etc. I must discipline myself to do this at other times in the day, too. I haven't yet figured out how to keep him occupied (and out of the dog's water dish) while doing some of this stuff. I'm sure I'll get better at this Motherhood thing with time.
5. Probably the most obvious, an early wake up time. Dekker wakes up between 7 and 7:30 every morning. Now, I work 2 days a week and this is perfect. On the other days, there is absolutely no sleeping in. If I keep him up until 8 or even 9, he will still wake up at 7 or even EARLIER. He is a classic, text book definition of "Early to Bed, Late to Rise."
Well, again, this was good for me to get off my chest. I was really struggling on the way home from work today that I would only see him for 30 min tonight. But after writing this down, I am still totally glad that his bedtime is so early. It is really good for his body, good for our marriage, and good for the rare nighttime babysitter-- even if it's not ideal for our social calendar or evening work hours. If you want a good book to read on childhood sleep, check out Good Night, Sleep Tight. We loved it.
Tomorrow is my Friday AM weigh in and I am still cautiously optimistic. Details to come.
On the Journey.
Stef
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Bargain Shopping
When Dave and I got married he was 21 and I was 23. To say we had no money is an understatement. We, thankfully (oh, so thankfully) stumbled onto a "Good Sense" Money Management class. So we set up a Spending Plan (aka Budget) and were very diligent about sticking to it, which took some creativity and sacrifice. We only took out student loans for tuition. We never used a credit card. And, we believed in "allowance" -- or basically having your "own" money to do with whatever you wanted without the other asking. We got $6 each a WEEK. Hey, that is nearly $50 a month, and for two part-time interns and full time students, that was A LOT of money. So needless to say, we have somewhat prided ourselves with being bargain shoppers for some time now.
Thankfully, we did eventually graduate from school, get jobs and we continued with a budget. Our budget really needs readjusted now that my income is variable and we have, um, a kid. Anyway, we shop around, use lots of coupons and coupon codes, and very much take our time making any big purchase. We beg, borrow and buy on Craigslist. When we had Dekker, I poured over the pages of Baby Bargains. And it was sometime then that it really struck me that you can get the SAME THING barely used for half the price, or never used and uber cheap if you are willing to do your research and a little extra leg-work. For example, I bought a BOB Jogging Stroller for literally 1/3 the price. The guy who sold it to us explained that it spent the last two years in his wife's trunk. Incredible. We use that thing almost everyday Spring-Fall and it would have been worth it full price, let alone at this price! Wow.
Okay, well all of this is leading up to Tuesday's events this week.
Thankfully, we did eventually graduate from school, get jobs and we continued with a budget. Our budget really needs readjusted now that my income is variable and we have, um, a kid. Anyway, we shop around, use lots of coupons and coupon codes, and very much take our time making any big purchase. We beg, borrow and buy on Craigslist. When we had Dekker, I poured over the pages of Baby Bargains. And it was sometime then that it really struck me that you can get the SAME THING barely used for half the price, or never used and uber cheap if you are willing to do your research and a little extra leg-work. For example, I bought a BOB Jogging Stroller for literally 1/3 the price. The guy who sold it to us explained that it spent the last two years in his wife's trunk. Incredible. We use that thing almost everyday Spring-Fall and it would have been worth it full price, let alone at this price! Wow.
Okay, well all of this is leading up to Tuesday's events this week.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Cautious Optimism
First (if you've been wondering) I wanted to let you know that I did in fact weigh myself before we left for Michigan and I had lost one pound. I'll hold my sarcastic tongue and excuses and just say that 5 lbs total in 2 weeks is thrilling. I may have taken a few steps backward while on said trip, but I planned ahead really well with my bonus points so I am cautiously optimistic that come Friday I will maintain. No hopes for a loss with all the food and no workouts. Maybe next week. Right now I am eating 4 points of Sweettarts, my Valentine's Day gift to myself. They are delish and since I have zero food in this house, I know I won't be going over more than 2 points today. Ug. I am half heart-idly considering walking on the treadmill during American Idol tonight. We'll see.
I also wanted to share this excellent Jambalaya recipe. It is pointed at 8 points a serving, and you'll want to double check what is considered a serving. Thank you again Amanda and Nathan for introducing us to this after Dekker was born. It is very family friendly, and it's Milk and Soy free (I think??), FYI, in case you or someone you know is looking (or you're taking a meal to a friend). You can consider substituting whole grain brown rice, which I believe would take the points down.
If you're wondering how I have time to sit and make lengthy blog posts in the middle of the day on a Tuesday (work day) it's because I'm home with a sick Dekker today. (Who just woke up from his nap... more later)... ... ...
... ... ... I considered one super long post today, but it's now been six hours since Dekker woke up and I have been busy chasing him around, getting dinner together (aka warming up a Lean Cuisine), walking on the treadmill (which I almost did pant-less b/c I couldn't find a clean pair to save my soul-- can you workout without pants in your own home?) and talking to Dave. So I'm settling for two shorter posts and hope to get to post some interesting things happening lately come tomorrow. For now, I am tempted to stay up late, blog and watch the Olympics, but Goodness Knows that Dekker won't understand why I want to sleep in tomorrow :) So good-night all.
On the journey.
Stef
I also wanted to share this excellent Jambalaya recipe. It is pointed at 8 points a serving, and you'll want to double check what is considered a serving. Thank you again Amanda and Nathan for introducing us to this after Dekker was born. It is very family friendly, and it's Milk and Soy free (I think??), FYI, in case you or someone you know is looking (or you're taking a meal to a friend). You can consider substituting whole grain brown rice, which I believe would take the points down.
If you're wondering how I have time to sit and make lengthy blog posts in the middle of the day on a Tuesday (work day) it's because I'm home with a sick Dekker today. (Who just woke up from his nap... more later)... ... ...
... ... ... I considered one super long post today, but it's now been six hours since Dekker woke up and I have been busy chasing him around, getting dinner together (aka warming up a Lean Cuisine), walking on the treadmill (which I almost did pant-less b/c I couldn't find a clean pair to save my soul-- can you workout without pants in your own home?) and talking to Dave. So I'm settling for two shorter posts and hope to get to post some interesting things happening lately come tomorrow. For now, I am tempted to stay up late, blog and watch the Olympics, but Goodness Knows that Dekker won't understand why I want to sleep in tomorrow :) So good-night all.
On the journey.
Stef
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